"Scientists plan to measure the effects of the blast on the unstable seismic region and speculate whether it will disarm a potentially larger earthquake that would otherwise occur. The New Madrid Fault, often referred to as the George Bush of fault lines (for it's low level of regular activity and high potential for catastrophe), offers little from historical analysis to suggest what the possible outcome will be.

'Yeah, we're not sure,' says scientist Bob Fark, "but there's a stong chance that everything west of St. Louis will fall into the ocean.'"